NURSES - Moving to Australia

[Guest girlinOZ]

Hi, I HAVE EMBOLDENED THE SECTION I BELIEVE I WILL GET ANSWERS TO IN THIS SECTION OF THE FORUM

 

I am a new member looking for some advice on the emigration process.

 

For the past 8 months I have been researching visas/employment options/ cities to live and costs of living. However, there are some things I simply can’t get my head around.

 

The first major stumbling block for my partner and I was the Visa. I am an employment adviser (aged 24, with 2 years experience in my field)/ she is a registered nurse (aged 22, with 6 months post reg experience). We recognised that our best options would be to focus on her occupation since we are led to believe there is a demand for nurses in Australia. Nonetheless, each time we looked at permanent visas she did not meet the requirements.

 

This has led us to the position of now pursuing an temporary employer sponsored visa. Having researched the various visa types I was less keen on this visa since I disliked the temporary nature and felt the employer held all the power. Would people suggest that we fly out on a working holiday visa and look for an employer to sponsor her whilst in the country? What are the chances of not finding sponsorship at all? Can the employer terminate her contract at any time and we have to leave? Are the wages less when employer sponsored?

 

How does her employer sponsored visa affect me and my employment prospects? I understand that I have the right to work, but will the temporary nature of her visa affect any jobs I might apply for and subsequent salary I might expect to achieve?

 

This de-facto status is another issue I am unsure of. We have lived together for 2 years in June when we plan to leave and will be setting up an apartment together when we arrive in Australia on the Working Holiday visa in July. Will a rental agreement/council tax bill and joint back account with £20,000 of joint savings suffice proof we live together. What are the next steps for say when she starts in work and gets an employer sponsored visa? Do I have to then apply for a de-facto visa of some kind? Can this be done immediately without me having to return home.

 

The next part of my post is very specific knowledge I am requesting so I will post this in another section of the forum as well.

 

Nursing registration is something that has baffled me from the start. Currently my girlfriend is registered as a UK nurse and works in a prison running a sort of triage clinic.

She has studied a 4 years honours degree and graduated earlier this year with an upper second class degree. At the moment she has 6 months experience and will have 1 full year by the time we leave in June/July this year. This limited experience is the main stumbling block to securing a more permanent visa. Now from what I’ve read each region in Australia has a different regulatory body ( I think) ? How do you begin the process of applying to become a registered nurse in Australia? What’s the name of the organisation? How long does the process take? She would like to be registered for arriving in June/July. Is she required to sit a skills assessment? I have read conflicting information about exemptions being granted for skills assessment and English language assessments depending on specific circumstances? She graduated from a top UK university and English is her native tongue. Can someone perhaps elaborate a little further on exactly what is required to get registration and am I correct in thinking there are exemptions for certain people?

 

We are very interested in setting up in the Brisbane area of Australia. Can someone kindly name any prisons in the Brisbane area? How do the prisons in Australia recruit? Are they run by the state or private companies? What is general salary range for working in this environment?

 

Another area I am unsure of would be gaining sponsorship from a hospital in the public sector. Do state hospitals in the Brisbane area sponsor?

 

Finally, we have booked tickets to attend an expo in London this coming March. Would anyone recommend this as a good means to securing employment?

 

I realise this post is lengthy, but to anyone who replies with answers to any of my questions I do very much appreciate it. Moving to Australia is no walk in the park and for someone like myself who is keen to have a thought out and well informed plan it’s just sooo sooo time consuming and complicated so any advice is welcome.

 

Thanks

 

Chris

 

here's the link for the governing nursing council:

 

http://www.ahpra.gov.au/

 

yes, the process is a lengthy nightmare as some have suggested, to get your Australian nursing license, but i had a hospital eager to hire me. You can read about my experience on page 48 of this forum. took 11 months of work, but i finally got it. I have a very supportive b/f. now just waiting for the 457 visa.

[Guest girlinOZ]

was that $220 assessment fee plus $115 registration fee?

 

I'm headed to Townsville too! Bin hired for mental health position at Townsville hospital. will you be working at the hospital also? my b/f lives in Heatley.

[Guest tandcmum]

I'm going to work at the Mater hospital in Townsville, Im a surgical nurse

[Guest girlinOZ]

I'm going to work at the Mater hospital in Townsville, Im a surgical nurse

 

 

oh ok, that's great news! congrats!:smile:

[Guest tandcmum]

oh ok, that's great news! congrats!:smile:

 

thanks, nervous and terified but also excited, something we have wanted to do for ages and can't wait to get there and explore Townsville and all the surrounding areas, will keep us occupied for years

[Guest loveaussies]

I got my eligiblity letter today from AHPRA.......saying I should submit my id papers at any AHPRA office to finalise the registration procedure......and this letter is valid for only one year......if I am not going to Australia inone year I have to reapply to AHPRA.....It took them six months to send this letter...I havent start looking for jobs yet...so I have to find job now and dump everything in UK in one year time.....Is there anyone else in the same situaton or just me??.....All my friends got in the register straight away..why AHPRA doing like this these days....bit strange!!!!

[Guest jacqui70]

Hi I received an email today from AHPRA saying my registration has been approved and just to show ID at off ice once I get to Oz as they need an Aussie address. Just so you have an idea of timescale i lodged my application in April 11 for registration in Victoria...

Australia here we come in August:biggrin:

[Guest]

Hi I received an email today from AHPRA saying my registration has been approved and just to show ID at off ice once I get to Oz as they need an Aussie address. Just so you have an idea of timescale i lodged my application in April 11 for registration in Victoria...

Australia here we come in August:biggrin:

 

Wow that was quick.

 

I posted mine on the 23rd May. AHPRA (Melbourne) took my money on the 6th June.

 

They must be starting to get on top of things. I havnt had an e mail saying i've got a case officer or anything yet.

 

Do you still need to present ID if you already have residency. I'm still in the UK mind ...

[Guest Luckylou87]

Thanks for that Jacqui70! I can't believe how quickly it's come through for you! That's amazing! Did you have many problems with it or pretty straight forward? Was that for the 457 visa or the other one? Where a bouts in Victoria are you heading for? Do you have a job lined up? Sorry 10,0000 questions

[Guest Emily82Surf]

Hi fellow nurses :wink:

 

I am now succesfully registered with AHPRA (trans tasman only took 7 days ;o))

I was wondering if we are also required to get a Certificate of Practice in addition to our registration??? When you get the paperwork in the mail, is it already in there???

We're having a few mail issues due to ash clouds and earthquakes here in Christchurch at the moment :mad:

 

Thanks

Emily

[Guest jacqui70]

I think so. I'm an Australian citizen (lived in Scotland for 20yrs) and I have to show australian addressxx

[Guest jacqui70]

No this was just for nursing registration. I'm Australian. We (me,oh and 4 kids) moving back to Frankston

Few bites with jobs but don't want to committ until I arrive

xx

[Guest Luckylou87]

Wow I have family in Hastings! Went to have a look at Frankston Hosp for Theatre work! Weird! Are you from there originally?

X

[Guest jacqui70]

No originally from Cheltenham, but family now down Frankston way so thats where we are heading. Do you have work? If you do did you get post before you headed over?

[Guest Luckylou87]

No I was just visiting family on a working holiday visa and thought I would look in to work there. Only just getting my paperwork together for registration so the second thats away I'll be searching for work!

[Guest JanUK]

Hi there,

 

I'd like to get some opinions on whether it's best to go for a 176 work sponsored, to get PR or whether it's best to try and secure an employment offer that might be via a different visa before I submit my application?

I have my AHPRA in principle letter, but have not yet got my skills assessment sorted ( I realise in hindsight it may have been better to start with this first....!).

For AHPRA I needed to get a JP to sign off all the documentation, but looking at the ANMAC site they seem to be ok with a solicitor instead- Have I got that right? I don't want to cause myself unnecessary grief by doing the wrong thing and ANMAC require some addidtional proof (photos etc) that AHPRA didn't so I can't just send the whole lot I already have to them!

Help please !!!!

Jan

[Guest]

Hi all,

 

Just wondering if anyone can clear a few things up for me? Im a registered nurse in the uk and am hoping to get to western australia before the years out just awaiting c/o at the moment, but my question is this how do i gain registration? I am not the main visa applicant my husband is and everytime i try to find info it keeps goin on about skills assessments etc and i was wondering is all this necessary even though i am not the main applicant same with the ielts.

Any help would be greatly appreciated

 

Donna xx

[Bonnie11]

Hi all,

 

Just wondering if anyone can clear a few things up for me? Im a registered nurse in the uk and am hoping to get to western australia before the years out just awaiting c/o at the moment, but my question is this how do i gain registration? I am not the main visa applicant my husband is and everytime i try to find info it keeps goin on about skills assessments etc and i was wondering is all this necessary even though i am not the main applicant same with the ielts.

Any help would be greatly appreciated

 

Donna xx

Hi Donna

You need to look up the AHPRA (which is the nurse registration body for australia) website and it has all the info you need there for overseas registration.

Apparently you don't need IELTS if you can prove you were educated in english in the UK but by the time I found out this I had paid for mine , so took it anyway and I think it made things easier. I also applied in canberra ahpra because sydney had a backlog,Iknew I was going to sydney pretty much but was the only one not advertising and the staff there were really helpful and I regularly rang them to hassle for updates. I believe Perth is ok .Mine took about 3-4 weeks to get the application together and once sent 1month to register. I have gone in on a 457 and didn't need skills assessment. Let me know if I can help further

Niki

[Guest]

Hi niki,

 

Thanks for that im gonna try and get my head round it all today, its so much more complicated than here in UK, I actually though it would be a simple process how wrong was I !!!!!!!

 

Thanks again

Donna xx

[jenpen87]

Hi

 

Because you have your AHPRA reg you can apply for the modified skills assessment so thats a bonus coz its cheaper than the full one! Apply before July 1st and miss the price increase too. Why not try asking AHPRA to forward all the documentation you sent to ANMAC? Then just apply with the remaining documentation needed.

 

Hope this helps :cute:

[Guest JanUK]

Hi Jen, thanks for your thoughts on this. I didn't know about the modified skills assessment so I'll have a look at that.

Unfortunately AHPRA will not send their file on me to ANMAC- something to do with data protection, which is weird as apparently it works fine the other way around!

 

Any other advice would be greatfully received

Cheers

Jan

[jenpen87]

Hi Jen, thanks for your thoughts on this. I didn't know about the modified skills assessment so I'll have a look at that.

Unfortunately AHPRA will not send their file on me to ANMAC- something to do with data protection, which is weird as apparently it works fine the other way around!

 

Any other advice would be greatfully received

Cheers

Jan

 

No probs, I know ANMC website has lots of info for overseas applicants. Plus with the modified assessment it takes less time to process. I've only just received my full assessment after applying at the start of Feb:arghh: Visa lodged tho before July 1st so happy days:biggrin:

 

As for the data protection rubbish, they've got double standards! ANMC wouldn't forward my documents back to me:nah:

 

How did you find AHPRA process?? I wont be applying until June next year but interested to here peoples experiences as I know they don't have the best reputation.

 

Cheers:cute:

[Guest JanUK]

Hi Jen, I didn't have any real problems with AHPRA apart from the bureacracy....... Had a good person called Rachel assessing my application and she was always quick to update me. One of the problems you'll find is that you can't reply to any emails sent as their generic address is blocked so that can be frustrating.

I thought I'd sent everything they needed when I applied, but found they wanted more of course.... but they are happy to provide an extension to the initial time frames offered and this can be done more than once as long as you formally request it.

I noticed lots of people experience delays in AHPRA receiving the docs posted to them, to decided to courier mine, which cost £51 !! Expensive, but worthwhile as everything arrived safely within a week and things started being processed quickly. If I hadn't had to send the additional info and query a few things, which meant waiting for the NMC and the uni here, who each took a few weeks, it would have been straight forward.

I know lots of people have expressed their frustartion but if you are 100% sure you've sent all they need when you apply, then it should be ok.

It did take nearly 3 weeks after my approval date for me to receive the in principle letter in hard copy, so make sure you leave plenty of time. I'd guess overall it was about 3 months from when I sent my application till I got my in principle approval.

Hope this is helpful.

 

I've looked for some clarification of where to find if I am eligible for the modified ANMAC assessment but despite much searching of their website, I haven't really found anything specific. Do you know where I can find this information?

 

Thanks

Jan

[jenpen87]

Hi Jan, i've just been on the ANMAC website and found this:

 

 

"Please be advised that the online application form is currently unavailable as we make appropriate changes to meet the new DIAC assessment requirements coming into effect on 1 July 2011. Please note that any applications that have been saved but not completed will be deleted from our database, so that new DIAC requirements can be met. The new online application form and assessment information will be available from 1 July 2011."

 

Very cheeky of them, that's why you couldn't find any info and looks like you'll have to pay more than previously. :frown:

[angiemalc]

Hi! ive a few questions Im moving to Perth in next few months on partners sponsored visa. I am a nurse and hope to do agency work to start with.. Where do I start to be able to work as a nurse? I have contacted the NMC in UK for a Verification certificate. Other than that im stumped as to what to do to get registered in Perth?? Have read various web sites but it seems rather complicated esp. as im not going to a job? any advice would be great!